Edros: Legacy

Magic

A note about magic in the world. This is not a departure from standard D&D canon, but rather just a “stop and think about it” kind of observation.

A typical day’s wages in the world total one guilder. But the cost of spellcasting services is measured in ducats, even for the lowest levels of spells. This means that the common people simply cannot afford to hire a spellcaster for much of anything. Thus their exposure to arcane magic is minimal at best. The common folk’s experience with magic, therefore, comes almost exclusively through the charitable exercise of divine magic by clerics and druids — healings, blessings of crops, etc. Arcane magic would have little to offer for these types of situations anyway. The situation would be different in cities, and/or in higher social and economic layers of society; but to the everyday Alarian, most magic — and arcane magic especially — is the stuff of stories, and is rarely if ever seen in day-to-day living.

One implication of this is that arcane magic shops will not exist in smaller towns and villages, and intermediate to advanced magic items can probably only be purchased in cities. Traveling merchants specializing in magic items can be found from time to time in peaceful regions. An exception to this narrow availability might exist in Yendys, due to the elves’ widespread appreciation for the forces of the arcane elements in the world. Even so, the economic factors in play here make the affordability — and therefore the availability — of magical items problematic in all but the most populous settlements.